1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device for carrying out printing process for images in plurality of print sizes, and a computer program product for the image processing device.
2. Description of Related Art
According to a conventional order style for photograph prints, it is a general manner for customers to bring negative films of photographs to photograph lab shops (photograph stands) and orally specify desirable print sizes, the number of prints etc, for each photograph there. However, such a conventional order style for photograph prints has been recently diversified into various styles such as ordering on the Internet for images taken by a digital camera, ordering by using a recording medium like CD-ROM, etc. In the conventional order style, a shutter bug might request a special print size, although it is very rare. However, in the recent diversified order styles, it has been more popular that customers request not only L-size but also various other sizes because ordering formats are improved so that customers can easily select various print sizes and also customers cannot help paying their attention to a size selection column.
Normally, only one type of paper is loaded in a printer, and therefore, in order to carry out printing process in plurality of print sizes, an operator must exchange papers, which is troublesome. Although a printer in which two or more kinds of paper different in size can be loaded together is known, even in this case, in order to change a printing paper size, an operator must rewind the paper in-use, change the setting of the printer in conformity with the size of paper to be used next, etc. Thus, it is troublesome to change the size of printing paper.
As described above, troublesome work is required to perform printing process in plurality of print sizes. Accordingly, in case plurality of print sizes are specified for plurality of image data files in one order, a clerk in a photograph lab shop who takes the order tends to print images in correspondence with the same print size as collectively as possible. In this case, after loading paper in a certain size, a printer is set in conformity with the loaded paper size, all the image data files in one order are read out, correction such as color correction is carried out only for the image data files in correspondence with the set print size, and then only the corrected image data files in correspondence with the set print size are used for printing process. Thereafter, in order to print in another size, the paper currently loaded in the printer must be exchanged by another paper different in size, and then the setting of the printer in conformity with the paper size, the reading of all the image data files in the order, the correction and the printing process must be carried out again.
As described above, when printing is performed in plurality of print sizes, under the present condition, an operator must carry out not only the setting of the print size for the printer and the exchange of papers, but also the reading of the image data files and the correction at the frequency equal to the number of the print size. In the conventional order style, this trouble some work is not so serious problem because printing in a special size is rarely requested. However, in the resent printing process in which printing needs to be performed in various sizes in one order, not only very troublesome work and much time and labor are needed, but also such a mistake as an operator forgets to print some images with the idea of using image data files in correspondence with a certain size afterwards may occur.